Maiden With the Red Ribbon
by MegiieSue
Summary: A one shot of when Ezio meets a woman during his Ribbon Round Up challenge.


It was a mystery to all who had heard of the man Ezio Auditore how he could remain so cool under pressure. How this assassin could escape the hand of the law no matter how far it outreached it's fingers of justice. Sure, he had a temper if provoked, but in the face of possible discovery and destruction his ability to remain calm was remarkable. Then again, this was a challenge of charisma and charm, two things he greatly excelled at.

It was the night of the Carnevale. To many residents of cities near and far it was an important and famous festival not to be missed. The night was promised to include costumes, shows, and drink, which was sinful entertainment in itself. People from many towns would appear in decorated masks with tassels and gems to be the most noticed and admired. Musicians would fill the loud atmosphere with sounds of strummed lutes. With exotic Italian recipes sold at every street corner, it was to be a delicious and unforgettable time of the year.

Through the festivities and drunken joys of the night, one important event would unfold. The four tasked game, where men would compete for a golden mask which would grant entry to a party even more grand than the one attended by commoners. The reward was great and desired by many, but not for the same reason as the assassins. Winning the mask would mean gaining entry to the party, but also the opportunity to strike at his latest target.

The hearty man who was larger than most treaded across the stage with ease, pacing his steps to his calling voice. He brought news of the starting contest. With his booming voice, one would have to try to not hear his important announcement. Many heart's raced with excitement, but the assassin's remained steady as he neared the platform from which the man stood,

"Welcome, gentlemen. Whether you win or lose this will certainly be your FAVORITE game of the day! Ladies!" The man cocked his head to the right, observing the giggling women besides him. They were adorned in masks to conceal their beautiful faces, and seemed to be thrilled with all the host had to say. Satisfied with his ability to bring joy to their hidden faces, the man continued, " Here's how the game is played. All the ladies in this district have ribbons. Your job is to obtain them. Whoever has the most before my hourglass runs out is one step closer to winning the golden mask!" All the pleasure seemed to be his as the woman ooh and ahhed at the ancient timer he twirled in his hand.

The glimmering eyes of the fair maidens watched with bated breath as the man dramatically tilted his hourglass. From the looks of it, the timer seemed to be set at less than ten minutes. That was all the time he had to charm the ladies and return with enough ribbons to beat out the opponents. A game of charisma this was, and it was all to easy for the masked Ezio. Along with the other participants, he was off.

Unlike the other men, he did not get a running start. That was sure to scare them off. Instead he walked with grace. His cape did not wildly whip side to side as he did when escaping the guards, but flowed beside him and he approached his first woman. Often, he could merely look at a girl and she would swoon, but with his mask firmly set it was a tad more difficult than that. He placed a finger under the red head's chin and spoke with a voice so smooth as he complimented her aurora of refined beauty. Her milky white speckled cheeks turned pink under his gaze, it was only a second later that she forfeited her ribbon to which he thanked her.

Surprisingly many of the women willingly gave up their ribbons without much hindrance, simply handing it to him at a petty compliment on their dress. They were glad to be rid of it, and to move on with their evening without disturbance from the lesser sex. Pick pocketing, which was what most of the men were doing, seemed all too easy to him that it just didn't seem fair. This was a game to test his charm, and he wasn't about to cheat the beautiful women out of what he had to offer.

Two minutes were down and he already had collected more than enough strands of ribbon to win the first round. It amused him to see many of the other competitors still struggling to get their first compensation while he had most swooning over his lustful words. This task proved easy enough, but it was all too soon before his pride began to get the best of him. If he was going to win, he was going to win with flying colors.

Ezio found himself walking faster than normal, swaying as he treaded down the paved streets of Venice. The noise of chattering townsfolk and music faded as he drew farther from the Carnevale. Only when in the alleyways of silence would he notice just how dark the night had become. Any women out here were sure to still have their ribbons handy at their side, just waiting for the right man to come lift them off their feet.

More time passed and still no sign of any remaining ladies. He best be heading back, no matter how much it pained his pride. The reluctant man turned around, double timing his step as he neared the town square with time to spare. His amount of ribbons was sure to be enough to win the contest. Already he began wondering what the next tasks would be, although he was sure he would win. He had to. It was probably his only chance at getting to Marco Barbarigo.

Suddenly the man stopped, witnessing something out of the corner of his eye. His attention had been stolen by the sight of a thick shining ribbon hanging from the fold of a woman's skirt. A muscle on the right corner of his lip seemed to tighten into a smile as he approached the woman,

"Excuse me, Madonna." His perfectly practiced voice was well into play, attracting the attention of the blonde woman. Her arms were instantly crossed at the hooded man as she skeptically peered through his act, "I couldn't help but notice how your golden locks seem to glisten in the light of our leale luna." he fixated his eyes to hers, practically gazing into her soul. Charming was an art form not all could master, but his tactic had been used many a times before, " Of course, it's beauty could never measure up to what you possess, mio tesoro." As before with plenty of other women, he gently lifted his index finger and thumb to lift her chin up.

This woman seemed to be the only lady at the party not wearing a mask to conceal her pale green eyes. Her gaze was all but smitten to his as she pushed his hand away. She clicked her tounge like a dissapointed mother would to her child, scolding the man,

"Is this what you say to all the ladies?" Despite her sourness, Ezio was still amused. He continued to flash a charming smirk in her direction,

"Only if I mean it." The woman gave a pathetic laugh at his attempt at charming her, catching his eyes shift to the gleaming red ribbon at her waist. With a single swift movement she grabbed for the strand of fabric, dangling it in front of his desiring eyes,

"I assumed this is what you are after?"

She stood with a hand on her wider hip, cocking her other elbow as to hold her red ribbon in front of the man. Two blonde braided rings of hair laid limply on both sides of her head, a tad ratted with loose hairs. A smug look seemed to lessen what beauty she had, which was not a considerable amount. It was not that she was ugly, but she had a face with character. Considerably high cheekbones would make her smile, if ever shown, more prominent than most. Although one fact stood out more than the rest, her wears. It was evident that this maiden was not the richest, but her clothes seemed tattered and worn. Her top was fine, a deep russet red which matched her lips. It was held up by her cleavage, with tiny puffed sleeves wrapped around her mid upper arm. Her skirt, however, was less appealing. A dull brown with thick fabric loosely draped around her waist. The ends were torn from stepping on it so often.

One thing that never seemed to bother Ezio was the matter of purely appearance. Sure, it mattered as it did to most, but a lady was a lady. As long as she was not atrocious, she was a potential to be slept with. But right now, he was not as focused on her for her sex appeal as he was for the prize to be won. He took the signal of a dangling ribbon as a sign that he had won, but was sadly mistaken when she pulled it away from his grasping hand,

"Not so fast. They told me that I was only to give it to a man who was worthy. Convince me that you deserve this reward." Her accent was distinct, and alluring. It was almost as if she was trying to seduce despite how she seemed to be annoyed with his get to the point attitude. In reality, she was waiting to be amused. The man groaned, placing a smirk on her face,

"I don't have time for this."

"Well, then I guess you don't want my ribbon." She lifted her nose to the air, glancing at him from a half open eye,

"I do." He changed his annoyed face to one of charm once more. He smiled at her, holding a hand out for her to place the ribbon on, "I'll do anything you want, but I'll need that ribbon." With her free hand the woman placed a finger to her plump red limps, lifting her gaze to the sky without moving her head to symbolize how deeply in thought she was,

"I want a name." She smiled up at him, for he seemed to be a considerable amount taller than her. A name? That was too easy, surely there had to be a catch. Amused, he complied,

"Ezio Auditore la Firenze, might I know yours." She frowned, pulling in her held out ribbon to press against her chest,

"Why would you want to know that?"

"This is a game of charm, is it not? It's only polite that I know your name as well." It was almost mocking the way he glanced at her with seductive eyes, as if he was beating her at her own game. She returned the look, slightly amused with his conduct,

"Loretta. Now don't you go on about how beautiful it is because I'll know you're a liar." Softly the words came despite their bitterness that amused Ezio. Now he held his palm out a second time, begging for the ribbon,

"I answered your question now. May I have the ribbon, please?" The stranger's eyes widened, her pale green color glistening in what little light the moon provided. Something dawned on her as she inspected his outfit, and his facial structure. Despite the mask, she was still able to make out something about him that set him apart,

"Aspetto un momento. You're Ezio the Assassino." His smile faded into a stern face, not quite annoyed but still a bit uncomfortable that she could distinguish him through his mask. He temporarily removed his mask, storing it in his armor. The fact that he had just given away his identity hadn't helped the cause,

"Yes. And you're Loretta the courtesan." She let out a laugh, her chest bobbing at her amusement,

"I am not a courtesan, but if that is your way of amusing yourself, I can dance like one."

To that he lifted his eyebrows, inspecting her body for his own pleasure. Scanning her from head to two, paying particular attention to her chest as he advanced. As he stepped closer, she stepped away, pressing herself against the hard dark brick that made up the wall behind her,

"Really?" His hard callused palm pressed against her waist, gradually moving below her hip as he cornered her against the wall. His face was now inches from hers as he continued to near, one hand pressed against the wall behind her, "I would love to see you dance sometime." She humored him, allowing him to press his full lips against her soft neck for just a moment before shoving him away.

The woman threw his ribbon to the wind behind her as she started back towards the party. It whipped around for a second, before the frantic man caught it with a grabbing hand. Her hips swung as she walked away,

"You win. Vedi intorno a te _ragazzo amante_."

What a character. Too bad she… no. He had to stop thinking, by now he had almost run out of time he figured. Shoving his ribbon into his armor, he took out his mask with his other hand. Gracefully he fit it snug onto his face. Near the deadline, he rushed back to the Carnevale.


End file.
